The Six Month Contract

Dead or Alive

I try not to react to Aaron standing in front of me. He now has a beard, one that wasn't there when I saw him in the hospital. He has wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. He has aged a lot faster than his actual age.

My eyes scan the room but Rocky isn't there. What have they done to him.

My hand is still on the door handle. For a second, I contemplate opening the door and running back into the bathroom.

"Don't you dare," Aaron says as if sensing what I had intended to do.

"Rocky," I say confidently. There is no time to be weak. "Where is he?"

Aaron points to his man on the left who drags Rocky forward. Rocky has a bloody nose. His head hangs low but for the most part, he looks okay. He however doesn't lift his head to look at me, instead he says, "I told you to stay put, Sky."

I nod even though he's not looking at me. "I guess that makes us both stubborn."

Aaron smirks. "Isn't this cute," He says before facing me. "Do you remember me, Sky?"

I nod. "How could I forget."

"Do you remember the exacto knife?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember my screams?"

"They were delightful," I reply looking him deadset in the eyes.

There is a second I notice his blood boil before he composes himself and pulls an exacto knife out of his pocket. "Now which part of Mr Perfect shall we operate on?" He says running the exacto knife with its safety lid over Rocky's arm.

"Don't you dare," I say taking a step forward.

"Hmm," He says. "I guess I ought to tell you the truth about your parents."

My throat tightens and I try not to show a reaction.

"You're not adopted. I've been blackmailing your parents in a way. See, I've been watching you since you had my brother jailed and well it's so easy to use children against their parents."

Rocky lifts his head this time to look at me. He's still but I can see that he's trying to tell me something with his eyes.

"I showed them countless videos of you. Stepping out of the house, visiting the park, dates with Rocky. I've showed them how close I really got to you and that I would do it again. So I told them to lie to you, and I installed cameras the day you came over so I could watch everything in person. I needed to ensure they actually did tell you."

"Why?" I question. "What do you get out of this?"

"Well I wanted you to hate everyone before I killed you. I wanted you to have no one. See Rocky wasn't supposed to open that cupboard, you were. There was a lovely evidence there that you didn't see, and Rocky never showed you."

Aaron watches me for a second and then walks over to Rocky and crouches down to his level. "Didn't you tell her? Well I guess not considering she doesn't hate you."

"Tell me what?" I ask.

"There was a photo of Rocky in high school. Graduation night, with a girl in his arms...in bed."

I freeze. How could that be possible? As soon as graduation was done, I left with Rocky and I spent the whole night with him.

Aaron calls on one of his men and hands the photo to me. It's Rocky, and a girl. Did he really lie to me?

But how could it be possible? The timeline doesn't add up. We left together and spent the whole night together, there would be no way he could have done that.

I suddenly watch Rocky, his eyes digging deep into my soul. "How could you?" I tell him.

"I trusted you!" I shout. "I loved you."

Aaron smiles. "Rocky was always a player. He should have never been trusted."

But what Aaron doesn't know is, I've seen this photo before. It's not Rocky's photo but a friend of his. His friend had sent this to everyone that night of graduation when he had somehow convinced a model to date him.

Photoshop.

"How do you know about graduation?" I suddenly ask him.

Aaron smiles again. "Finally you see sense."

He holds out another photo. "Remember this?" He says leaning forward in my direction and handing me the photo.

Hesitantly I take the photo. It's a group photo of the whole year that day of graduation. "I don't understand," I say.

"Top left, " Aaron replies. "Third row, fourth person."

My eyes follow his instructions and lands on a young boy. He has black frames and incredibly skinny. This was the boy who had asked me out in tenth grade. The boy I turned down. He used to lend me a pencil every class I forgot and numerous times I copied his homework. Aaron.

"Ring a bell?" He asks.

I nod. "I didn't know that was you."

He laughs. "How could you? You were busy running after and Perfect...you and all the other girls. I asked you out several times. I helped you with everything and you wouldn't give me the time of day. Nothing more than a hello."

"Is that why you're doing this? Is that why you attacked me in the hospital?"

"I came to visit you, but you didn't even recognise me. The guy you used to copy your homework from. The guy who you turned down numerous times. I left flowers by your bed and you still didn't recognise me. I may have had a bad temper and I reacted that day."

"Reacted?!" I shout. "You tried to kill me!"

"Funny how I was fighting for my life and not you."

I watch him. "I was fighting for my life!" I shout attempting to make my way to Rocky.

He suddenly holds the exacto knife in front of Rocky. "Don't you dare come closer."

Stopping I watch him.

He looks at Rocky. "I'm disappointed you didn't even recognise me. You were too cool for me, didn't have time to hang out with the likes of me."

Aaron pulls the lid off the exacto knife and turns to face his men.

Rocky watches me for a second. He opens his mouth lightly and then closes it.

"You want to kill him, do it," I say to Aaron. "Neither of you turned out as a damn option. This one tried to kill me," I point to Aaron. "And this one cheated on me."

I just need to stall until the police are here.

Aaron smirks. "That's what I thought."

"But if you'd let me," I say to Aaron. "I'd like to do the honours."

Aaron watches me for a second, deciding whether he believes me or not.

The exacto knife isn't enough to cut the rope that ties Rocky's hands together but it'll have to do.

Aaron smiles finally and hands me the exacto knife.

I lean in front of Rocky. "You honestly thought I wouldn't find out," I say leaning into him.

Aaron watches in confusion. "That doesn't look like you're killing him."

"My heart has just broken. Let him feel the exact same thing before I end his life."

I run the knife against his arm, making a subtle cut, not enough to do damage but enough to draw blood.

"Sorry," I whisper leaning into him and grasping his hands

I move the exacto knife back and forth, my body in front of his hands so that neither Aaron or his men can see the action.

I grab Rocky's chin with one hand. "You messed with the wrong person."

His hands are free.

The sirens suddenly blast outside. Aaron jolts in reaction and screams at his men. "Grab them!"

Rocky grabs me and we make a run for it out the bedroom door.